National Action Plans - Belgium

Details/Analysis:

Belgium has no recent experience of conflict and does not face any significant external armed threat. Belgium is a key contributor to UN peacekeeping missions (Democratic Republic of Congo), NATO forces (Afghanistan), development aid and humanitarian assistance.

Belgium was a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2007- 2008, and supported the adoption of UNSCR 1820, and established with United Kingdom an informal group within the Security Council on 1325.

Women are eligible for service in the military and police without restriction, as well as deployment to peacekeeping and NATO operations. Belgium has gender quota requirements in electoral law and women constitute approximately 40 per cent of representatives in the lower and upper houses of government, as well as general public service positions.

Women in Belgium have also been important actors in the women’s rights, peace and anti-war movements, with many historical women’s organizations such as Nederlandstalige Vrouwenraad (Dutch Women’s Council) and the Conseil des Femmes Francophones de Belgique (Women's Council of Francophone Belgium) still operating today and working to advance and promote the implementation of UNSCR 1325.

Belgium has elected to national implement UNSCR 1325 with a largely international focus. There is reference to domestic implementation within the Normative Framework, however this refers only to existing commitments and does not elaborate any further actions as all other sections of the NAP do.

Details/Analysis:

The Belgian National Action Plan is organized by thematic chapters, which includes

• Normative framework
    National
    Regional
    International
  
• All forms of violence against women in armed conflict
  
• Peace building and Conflict prevention
  
• Development cooperation
  
• Peacekeeping missions
  
• Monitoring and Evaluation

Each thematic chapter is prefaced by an explanation of the theme, relevant domestic, regional or international commitments and Belgium’s priorities in these areas. This is then broken down into a set of Guidelines and specific Actions. For example, in thematic area “Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention” contains the following elements:

Guidelines
• Advocate the facilitation of the participation of women’s groups in peace negotiations. The role of women in peace processes is institutionalized by stimulating the dialogue between women’s groups and negotiators, by distributing information, by training women’s groups and by guaranteeing the participation of women in negotiations.

• Investigate the gender strategy of each application for project funding submitted to the Conflict Prevention and Peace Building service. This strategy as well as the= corresponding gender-specific activities are important elements for the approval of the project.

• Continue to advocate the importance of the gender dimension in the framework of the Peace Building Commission (PBC), both by drawing up new IPBS (Integrated Peace building Strategies) and by considering this dimension at the two yearly evaluations of the Strategic Frameworks.

• Highlight the gender dimension in the planning, the training and the development of SSR and DDR programmes.

• Promote a civil approach in disarmament and rehabilitation processes with regard to women who did not participate actively in the conflict. This means that preference is given to the expertise of international organizations or of international civil missions.

• Gender mainstreaming will remain a part of the Belgian policy regarding peace missions, e.g. in recruitment, education and training, regulations, directives etc., including DDR and SSR programmes.

• In fragile states where Belgian detachments are deployed, «early warning indicators» concerning the situation of women will be observed

• The Normative framework cites the federal Gender mainstreaming law of 2007; gender balance candidacy requirements in electoral laws; the requirement for the Federal Public Services to keep gender-sensitive statistics and to integrate gender into budgeting; requirement to provide gender impact analysis of legislative and statutory projects; and Parliamentary reporting on the compliance with the law concerning the Beijing Platform for Action. Anti human-trafficking, recognition of gender-based persecution for asylum seekers

Actions
• In accordance with the current selection criteria, fund projects concerning sexual violence, e.g. in the field of prevention, guidance, socio-economic reintegration, awareness raising and legal aid.
• Reserve funds for training women and women’s groups and involving them in peace negotiations.
• Support education and training of women’s groups in the field of peace building, conflict prevention and election processes.
• Promote women’s networks which will be involved in peace building and election processes.
• In de-mining programmes plead to let local communities co-decide on which zones should be de-mined first. In this respect, women’s participation is of crucial importance.
• Distribute good practices, recommendations and lessons learned and integrate them into the daily activities.

Each action is linked to a responsible Ministry, but does not include indicators, time-frames for completion or an allocated or estimated budget.

View all actions here.

Details/Analysis:

There is no allocated or estimated budget and the NAP does not elaborate on plans, strategies or mechanisms to ensure activities are funded within departmental budgets.

No indicators or actions are included that formulate strategies for sourcing increased funding, detail what level of funding is required for which specific activities, or what accountability mechanisms will ensure funding is raised and used in implementing the NAP.

However, Belgium has existing gender-sensitive budget requirements under its federal legislation, and this is noted within the NAP.

Details/Analysis:

The Belgian NAP does not include a monitoring and evaluation framework or a set of indicators to track implementation status.

Civil Society is charged with evaluating the NAP in 2010, in cooperation government at the conclusion of the NAPs life in 2012. It is not specified if these documents are to be made publicly available.

The NAP does not provide for the continuation for the governmental working group or the establishment of the new body that would have responsibility for coordinating the NAP. Civil Society established the Platform 1325 in 2009 to provide a monitoring and oversight role, which consists of women’s organizations, NGOs, parliamentarians, and representatives of the ministries involved.

Details/Analysis:

The Belgian National Action Plan includes references to disarmament and the link between women’s insecurity and arms proliferation. Specifically the NAP refers its role in drafting the treaty to ban on cluster munitions, and its efforts to incorporate an explicit reference to the protection of women and children in the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of anti-Personnel Mines.

The specific references to disarmament are as follows:

Guidelines
• Continue fighting the use of landmines and cluster munitions, with specific focus on the impact of these weapons on women and children
• Promote a civil approach in disarmament and rehabilitation processes with regard to women who did not participate actively in the conflict. This means that preference is given to the expertise of international organizations or of international civil missions.
• Gender mainstreaming will remain a part of the Belgian policy regarding peace missions, e.g. in recruitment, education and training, regulations, directives etc., including DDR and SSR programmes

Actions
• In de-mining programmes plead to let local communities co-decide on which zones should be de-mined first. In this respect, women’s participation is of crucial importance.

Details/Analysis:

Since 2001, women’s organizations and peace organization led by Nederlandstalige Vrouwenraad (Dutch Women’s Council) and the Conseil des Femmes Francophones de Belgique (Women's Council of Francophone Belgium) lobbied for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and for the adoption of a Belgian NAP.

Civil Society was involved in the development of the NAP through the Commission of Women and Development, an official advisory body to the Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation composed of NGOs, academics and women’s organizations. This body includes the following women’s organizations:

• Council of French-Speaking Women in Belgium
  
• Council of Dutch-Speaking Women
  
• Interuniversity Council of the French Community
  
• Flemish Interuniversity Council
  
• National Centre for Development Cooperation
  
• Coalition of the Flemish North-South Movement
  

In the sphere of peace and security the Commission for Women and Development has a policy focus on conflict prevention and peacebuilding, disarmament and non-proliferation, sanctions, anti-terrorism and peace operations.

Civil Society is charged with evaluating the NAP in 2010 and 2012, however it is not specified if these documents are to be made publicly available.

Nederlandstalige Vrouwenraad also established Platform 1325 in 2009, to monitor the implementation of the NAP. Platform 1325 includes Civil Society Organizations from Dutch and French women's movements, peace and human rights organizations, parliamentarians and representatives of governments institutions.

Civil Society Organizations have welcomed the adoption of a NAP, but have been critical of the exclusion of concrete actions for implementation, indicators and allocated budget. Civil Society has also been critical of the limited consultation with those organization with representation on the Commission of Women and Development, and in particular women in conflict and post-conflict situations.